If I didn't know any better...well, never mind

Someone is going to be 21 in less than 4 months. And I totally stole this idea from someone at work, but I've decided to compose a list of 21 things to do before I turn 21. But I suck at making lists, and ya'll don't - especially Amanda, so I need help! I'm trying to think of things that are fun and silly and kind of young and childish, maybe a little crazy or even subversive (I know that's a difficult ideal). Keep in mind I will be in Sicily from January 23rd till April 16th (which is my birthday) so I'm thinking maybe in terms of stamps on my passport, etc. Things having to do with the number 21 would be really cool, too. I already know the very last item on my list, which I'm only going to do if I get all the others done, but I can't tell you, because it's my excuse for a dirty little secret. It's really not dirty, I promise. Hmmm...what about read for 21 hours straight? Do you think I could do that? I've never been to an opera, so that's definitely going on the list, somewhere. Write me your suggestions quick because I need to get started. Also, does anyone want to join me in these?

Tie your hair in ribbons and lace and wear pearls round your neck, and all the pretty princes will see you...

So I've been thinking.

This isn't going to be like what happens when Amanda has thoughts, all deep and interesting, so don't get too excited.

I've been thinking about shoes. And handbags. First of all, Puma shoes are just fugly. I don't care how expensive they are. So this is a question for all of you who are studying abroad, or have, or have traveled in Europe.

What kind of purse did you wear? Because all the study abroad people say to only wear a purse with a long strap across your chest and to keep it in front of you. I can't imagine stylish Italian women actually dressing like that. And I'm not entirely sure I want to be without my adorable little Coach handbag for a whole semester. What do you think? Will it scream "I'm an American - try to rob me!" or will it be my safest bet for not looking like a slob?

It didn't seem wrong to sing the sad song...

So finals are over except for Greek on Monday afternoon, which won't take too many hours to study for. I don't feel so amazing about any of them, and I usually feel good about most of my finals. And there seems to be some problem with that art/archeology class transferring. Looks like online summer classes for me.

These past two days have been a blur. Actually, so has this week, and I'm not completely sure that I don't feel cheated out of a semester.

All I want to do right now is something fun, that has nothing to do with studying. I want to go crazy, and paint a town a color, and have one of those moments when you forget yourself because you're so happy and...I really want to stop using all of these crappy cliches. Anyone up for it?

Sigh not so, ladies sigh not so...

So I had a panic moment today. They cancelled ALL the Latin and Greek classes at the Mediterranean Center for the Arts and Sciences, because there weren't at least 3 students in any of them. They also cancelled my Roman Archeology and Art class that I was so excited about. But they said that for the Latin and Greek classes, I could arrange for individual instruction from a Ph. D. professor for an extra $1200 for each class. Obviously, if I had $2400, I probably would have already spent it on shoes. So I didn't know what to do, but after a few calls and emails, I was told that I didn't have to pay the extra fee. Something about Baylor being an affiliate university, and scholarship waiver, or something. The point is that I get individual instruction. For free. Also, I replaced the Roman Archeology and Art class with History of Archeology and Art in Sicily, which oddly enough is going to count as a history credit. The other one was only going to be an elective, which I certainly didn't need - I have so many already. So now I think I will be able to get away with taking 16 and 18 hours my last two semesters, and stay in the Honor's program, and get the Philosophy minor.

What started out to be a nightmare ended up the solution to some of my problems.

Also, I downloaded songs from the movies made of Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Much Ado About Nothing, and I discovered Superpoke on Facebook, which is so addicting it's scary. It's been a good day.

It starts in my toes makes me wrinkle my nose....

Forget that I ever considered dropping Honor's. Chalk it up to a passing weakness and an interest in Philosophy that I don't think will be quite so passing. I think I may still try to get the Philosophy minor. I can take 19 hours while writing a thesis. Can't I?

So thanks for all the support and advice about that. No one mentioned on the blog, at least, an answer regarding the hair question, so I did what my heart (and Lulu, H, and Erica) told me and I died it "warm auburn." It's still a really dark auburn but in the sun it looks bright red. I like it a lot, most of the time.

I'm so excited about studying abroad. :-)

Serious Questions and Crazy Dreams

First of all, should I change my hair color more? Should I go redder, or lighter, or back to the natural color?

Now that we got the important one out of the way...which is more important, the Honor's Program or a minor in Philosophy? I can't do both unless I take 18 hours and 19 hours the two semesters of my senior year. I can study Classics and write a thesis about Classics in Grad school, but will I get a chance to take Philosophy classes when I go to Grad school for Classics? No.

These are the things I'm taking in Sicily:

1. Advanced Readings in Latin: Tacitus

2. Advanced Readings in Greek: Thucydides

3. Roman Archeology and Art (field trip class - whoo!)

4. Plato (enough said)

5. Beginning Italian.


Yes, that's right. I have been given permission to commit suicide and take Advanced courses in Latin and Greek when I should be going into 2nd semester of Intermediate. Unfortunately the Mediterranean Center for the Arts and Sciences just isn't offering those this Spring. If I choose to remain in the Honor's Program, I will be taking Independent Readings as well, but if I dropped Honor's now, I could take 6 hours of Italian instead of 3.

Decisions, decisions...I've actually started thinking about where I want to go for Grad school and I'm thinking it may be somewhere hard to get into....

Heaven...I'm in heaven...and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak....

If you can't tell, I'm listening to Fred Astaire right now. This has to be a quick blog because I promised myself I would go to bed at midnight. It's sad, but these days if I even get to bed by 1 on a weeknight, I think I'm going to bed early.

Oh, dear. I had something to blog about and now I've completely forgotten it. Is this what old age is like? I think it's just the Fred Astaire music that is jumbling my thoughts.

Well, that's too bad, because I'm pretty sure that it was scintillating. It probably would have left your mind in a state of awe and wonder for days. As it is, let me make you feel intelligent by relating something I actually heard a college student say: "I didn't even went to English today." No kidding.

My life is spent too much at the library and the monotony of it all may affect my hair color if something doesn't happen. Fortunately, my favorite English BA is coming to Waco next weekend! Hurray! And, after about Wednesday I should be done with all major exams and papers, at least for a little bit, so except for the usual Philosophy response paper and a few hours' worth of Latin and Greek, I should have a fairly free weekend, which means, Swing dancing and Wild West on Thursday, H's party on Friday, (after Crane Scholar's) homecoming stuff on Saturday (including the game! I'm actually starting to enjoy football), making food for Amanda and having good talks again, and who knows? I may get crazy and actually go to church on Sunday! I'm so looking forward to having a life again - if only for a few days.

Oh, by the way, I did not get the scholarship I applied for - somebody doesn't love me - but I did find out that last spring I got high honors on my national Greek exam - 2nd highest score at Baylor! and I am now in Eta Sigma Phi, the Classics Honor's Society.

Valete et kai chairete! (Excuse the sloppy transliteration)

P.S. Amanda, what do you want to eat while you're here?

When I grow too old to dream, I'll have you to remember....

Sometimes you love someone and then they change without warning you. You fall in love with someone and you think that you will love them forever, unconditionally. But when you think that you never dream that they will actually change.

People ought to change. Growing mature and independent is a good thing and when you love someone, you think that's what you want to happen to them. Then it does.

I loved someone very much once and recently I saw him again. He's wonderful now. He's grown into an amazing person and I still love him. But he's not at all who he used to be, and when I remember the person I used to love and the person I love now, it's hard for me to realize that they are the same person, only at different points in time. I feel as though I love two people: who he was and who he is.

Henry grew up really fast in the two months since I last saw him, and it's shocking me. Ha ha! Gotcha, didn't I?

Out of an Orange-Colored Sky

I wish I had more originality and did not have to depend on lines from songs to use as titles, but that's all I've got, so that's all you get.

I'm up to my arched eyebrows in paperwork for studying abroad next semester and very afraid that I won't make all my deadlines. :-( I'm waiting for letters of recommendation, transcripts and tomorrow I managed to get two advising appointments. A lot of the people who read this know exactly what I'm going through. Send me happy thoughts.

The game on Saturday was absolutely depressing, but it was funny to watch football with Lulu. While the rest of us are just screaming triumphantly or groaning indignantly, Lulu lost her voice during the 1st quarter shouting very specific instructions at the players as to how they should be playing the game. It was really amusing. She thinks we should all try to join the team next year, as we may be an improvement on the current players. I'm thinking of trying for quarterback since I won all the arm-wrestling matches. What do you think?

I miss a lot of people. But I get to go home Thursday for fall break, so at least I'll get to see my parents and Henry and Duke and Matthew. Whenever we say his name, he thinks we're saying "Matt-you" so he always responds "Matt-me!" He's so instinctively grammatical, he's definitely going to be a Classics major when he grows up. He likes to talk on the phone with me, and last time he told me that he had drawn a picture of a duck in his room, and another duck, and another duck. Yellow is his favorite color. The time before that he said that the "neow," which is his word for Henry, had scratched him.

I like cute people.

Fly me to the moon....

This week is a week of music, it seems. Tuesday night we went to Jones Hall to listen to a symphony, and last night there was live jazz at Common Grounds. I ordered something called a "Meltdown," which had four shot of espresso in it, and I may never be the same again. At any rate my sleep cycles never will be.

When you are severely sleep-deprived, it is really inappropriate to have an almost-irrestible urge to giggle in Greek class when the rest of the class is translating the Gethsemane scene in Luke. Yesterday afternoon I took a nap after class, and when I woke up, I spent a solid two minutes trying to figure out what class I was late for, or had slept through, what homework I had forgotten, and what day it was.

Blockbuster actually got a collection agency to mail me something telling me to pay them their freakin' sixteen dollars.

I want to go to Sicily.

Fly me to the moon....

This week is a week of music, it seems. Tuesday night we went to Jones Hall to listen to a symphony, and last night there was live jazz at Common Grounds. I ordered something called a "Meltdown," which had four shot of espresso in it, and I may never be the same again. At any rate my sleep cycles never will be.

When you are severely sleep-deprived, it is really inappropriate to have an almost-irrestible urge to giggle in Greek class when the rest of the class is translating the Gethsemane scene in Luke. Yesterday afternoon I took a nap after class, and when I woke up, I spent a solid two minutes trying to figure out what class I was late for, or had slept through, what homework I had forgotten, and what day it was.

Blockbuster actually got a collection agency to mail me something telling me to pay them their freakin' sixteen dollars.

I want to go to Sicily.

Things that make me happy:

Yesterday I saw a guy with a really goofy smile on his face walking around with a sign that said, "Free hug day - get your free hugs here."

My religion professor had a funny/awkward moment in class Monday when he was trying to draw a certain answer out of us, and one of the girls was really close, and he said, "you're hot, you're extremely hot --- which is not to say anything other than, you're really close to the right answer."

Sunday night I was laughing so hard at something a friend said that I almost choked on mashed potatoes. Who chokes on mashed potatoes?

It's very breezy today, and not too warm - the way a September day should be.

Crane Scholars is starting up again this Friday and we're reading Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton, which I already know that I love because I've read it.

I should be doing homework, but I thought I'd rather talk about homework than do it. I have 3 papers due next week.
I have decided that smart people are the most difficult people to get along with (smart people who are around the same age). Sometimes I look at my professors and think, when you were an undergrad, do you go around hurting your fellow students' feelings all the time, and did they think you were an a$$? Do some of your colleagues still privately find you annoying, only now they're too polite and grown-up to let it show? I know that the world is full of competition in all classes of people, "mimetic rivalry" as Somebody Girard says in the book I'm reading for Colloquium, but it seems to be that scholarly people in their late teens and early twenties are the most unapologetic about it. I've heard some of the most inexcusable comments from people whose mental capacities I truly respect. But if they are so earnest about their pursuit of beauty, truth, and goodness, why the hell have they not even mastered the basics of civility? Why is their instinct so perceptive when they analyze the motivations of characters in epics and dialogues and such, yet they can't seem to realize that when they say derogatory things about their classmates, said classmates are going to be offended? Why are they so logical when discussing abstract things, but so illogical when comparing their abilities with those of their peers? (Okay, the answer to that question in obvious). Education is supposed to refine your character, isn't it? Not just make you a more pedantic sort of jerk?
People of average intelligence just do not seem to have the same hang-ups as smart people. They aren't so fiercely competitive over their reputations as "intellectuals."
It wouldn't bother me if I knew of one of two people who were like this, but I'm finding this sort of behavior from too many people. It's enough to make me want to be a waitress all of my life. At least wait staff are rarely so pretentious.

I have a blog again!

I've missed blogging a lot. The only reason I stopped was that I left Myspace, and the reason I left Myspace really had nothing to do with blogging. I've been reading Sara's and Amanda's blogs, and it's so interesting how much of their personalities show through what they write. I think I could tell who they were just by reading a sentence. I love it.